Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 6 of The Rings of Power.J.R.R. Tolkien's Sauron is one of the greatest villains of both literature and film. As Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) tells us in The Fellowship of The Ring, it was "his will to dominate all life in Middle-earth," and the fact that he nearly succeeds a few times is reason enough to fear him. The story that is being told in Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, so audiences know that there are many years to go before Sauron’s true defeat.
In the most recent episode of the series, "Udûn," Adar (Joseph Mawle) confesses to Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) under interrogation that he "split him open. I killed Sauron," but viewers know this isn’t possible. The real mystery behind his confession, though, is whether Adar believes he successfully destroyed Sauron or if he is lying — and if he is lying, then what reason does he have to tell this to Galadriel?
Adar’s Confession to Galadriel
In the course of completing The Dark Lord’s master plan to create a homeland for all the darkest creatures of Middle-earth, Adar is captured and interrogated by Galadriel. She immediately demands to know where Sauron is, and Adar deflects by talking about the Uruk’s creation and what Sauron had done after Morgoth’s defeat. He had called all the remaining orcs to travel north to Angband to regroup and formulate a new plan to take over Middle-earth. Adar talks about Sauron’s experimentation with his orcs in his quest for power and then reveals how the mistreatment of his children led him to split Sauron open, killing him to save the rest of the Uruk.
Does Adar Believe He Destroyed Sauron?
There are many indications that imply Adar completely believes that he defeated Sauron and saved his Uruk. His sole concern seems to be giving his creations a home and the freedom he feels they deserve. At the very beginning of Episode 6, Adar tells them that they will "no longer be nameless slaves, but a people of their own." When Galadriel says that she wants to eradicate all of his kind from the earth, he tells her that the Uruk have just as much right to life and to a home as they do because they were created by the “Master of the Secret Fire, same as you”. Adar is directly invoking the Creator and claims that everything Eru Ilúvitar had created held equal value in the universe. It is this belief that seems to drive all of his decisions to take the Southlands and make it habitable for his Uruk.
Why Would Adar Lie?
The first and most obvious reason Adar would lie about defeating Sauron is to protect him while he’s in hiding. Galadriel is obsessively hunting Sauron, so if Adar tells her that Sauron is dead, she may give up her search for him for a time. Another reason he might lie is that he sees Galadriel is emotionally charged to get answers on Sauron’s location and takes the opportunity to manipulate her.
After she describes how she plans to destroy all the Uruk, Adar implies that Galadriel is as bad as he is, saying, “It would seem I’m not the only Elf alive who has been transformed by darkness” and then compares her to Morgoth’s successor. This accusation hits her a lot harder because of the conversation she had with her brother at the very beginning of the series, during which they spoke of how confusing it is facing the darkness and how disorienting it can be to tell what is good and what is bad. This snide remark that she seems just as bad as Sauron is enough to make her question everything she’s ever done, and this would be the most effective manipulation he could use this lie for.
Adar Is Most Likely Lying
Since readers of Tolkien and fans of the movies know already that Sauron can’t be completely destroyed yet, the mystery here is his location if Adar never split him open. There’s a small chance that Adar actually did attack Sauron, banishing him from his physical form and causing him to exist only in spirit.
There are other important events in Tolkien lore, though, that are tied both to this show’s plot and the different forms Sauron has embodied. For instance, the fall of Númenor that has been prophesied by Queen Muriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) has significant connections to Sauron taking a fair form and corrupting the culture of Númenor further than it already is. Because of these future events in Middle-earth’s plot concerning Sauron, it's far more likely that Adar never attacked Sauron, but he’s lying to Galadriel about doing so to keep his current location and identity secret. Galadriel was right in guessing that the Moriondor don’t act without instructions from their master, and her first instinct about Adar’s story is that it’s a lie.
Where Is Sauron Now?
If Adar truly is just a servant of Sauron, though, there are only a couple of other options for where the Dark Lord could be. Many viewers are speculating that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), the newly returned King of the Southlands, could actually be Sauron in fair form. His interest in forging, his diplomacy skills on Númenor, and his skills on the battlefield all indicate that he’s a cunning and resourceful ruler who might one day forge a master ring. Part of the story of the fall of Númenor involves Sauron appearing in fair form and manipulating its rulers, so imagining that Halbrand is Sauron in disguise is a safe assumption to make. Halbrand as a disguised Sauron seems a bit too obvious, though.
The most likely location of Sauron, according to Tolkien lore describing this time period, is among the elves in Lindon. At the same time that Sauron claims Mordor as his homeland, he also attempts to seduce the Eldar into seeking power through magic rings. Sauron attempts and fails at convincing Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) to abandon his virtue in search for power, but eventually corrupts Celebrimbore (Charles Edwards) and convinces him to forge the rings. Halbrand could just be a red herring with how many connections they’ve made between him and the Dark Lord, and viewers might want to start looking closer to the elves to discover who might be Sauron in disguise.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power releases new episodes weekly each Friday on Prime Video.